PORT ECONOMICS

The Belt Line arrangement has been criticized in railway
circles because “it entails, in individual instances, a longer
inter-line haul than might be brought about by inter-
changing at the nearest point of contact between the
individual terminals.” It would require too detailed an
investigation to consider this objection, and it is only
mentioned here as indicating a certain drawback, which is
incidental to the working of belt lines. On the whole, the
Belt Line has commended itself for very general, and
almost universal, adoption at North American ports.

An even more extended purview over railway services
in association with port work has been accorded to the
Port of New York Authority, which has jurisdiction over a
Port District covering the whole of Greater New York
and a large slice of adjacent country (roughly in all, land
and water, 1,500 square miles). Within this area, the
port authority, according to its Act of Incorporation,
“has full power and authority to purchase, construct,
lease and/or operate any terminal or transportation
facility.” In the definitions accompanying the Act,
Transportation Facility includes * railroads, steam and
electric, motor truck, or other street or highway vehicles,
tunnels, bridges, boats, ferries, carfloats, lighters, tugs,
floating elevators, barges, scows or harbour craft of any
kind, aircraft suitable for harbour service and every kind
of transportation facility.” These powers are extremely
comprehensive, and in exercising them during the short
period of its existence, the Port of New York Authority
has come into conflict with the railroad interests, neces-
sitating an appeal to the courts of law.

There is no instance in Great Britain of a port authority
with powers approaching the magnitude of those at the
disposal of the Port of New York Authority. If a railway
company is the owner of a dock system and virtual
administrator of a port, it naturally also enjoys jurisdiction
over its own railway system, but within the limits of the
port its powers are circumscribed by local interests and

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